The Final Word - We've got a long way to go

I have to say, seeing the Browns in person yesterday may have changed the way I think about the team and the way they've progressed this season. Yes, they finished 4-12, and that is not something I would ever make excuses for—especially after how we were supposed to see something better than the 5-11 record the team achieved under two consecutive seasons under Eric Mangini—but I think there are definitely things that we can take from these last string of games and improve upon.

But first things first—the Browns did lose their season finale against the Steelers 13-9 to drop their divisional record to a terrible 0-6 on the season. Honestly, if you can't beat the teams in your division, you're never going to make it in this league. I think the Browns know that and their effort on the field the last couple weeks shows it, but when it comes down to it, no wins against divisional opponents is unacceptable.

If you want to find positives, however, look no further than the Browns D. Not only did they wreck Rashard Mendenhall's ACL to end his season (and possibly some of the Steelers playoffs dreams), but they only allowed 13 points to that team in black and gold. That brings the total points given up to the Steelers in two games this season to 27. Yes the Steelers scored just twenty-seven points in two games and  our offense is so bad that we couldn't win either of them! We can chalk that up to things I find ridiculous.

Another positive comes from D'Qwell Jackson, who was able to achieve his goal of playing all 16 games this season and recorded a team-high 13 tackles in the final contest. Well, let's give him some more credit—not only was he able to play, but he really should be the NFL Comeback Player of the Year as he led the Browns with 158 tackles on the year, and played darn near every single defensive snap. He may be a free agent in this upcoming offseason, but I expect him to be the leader of the Browns defense for years to come.

On the offensive side of the ball, Josh Cribbs was the lone bright spot. I remember last year that Cribbs had a pretty good repor with Seneca Wallace, so it was nice to see that work yet again. Cribbsie had seven catches for 91 yards—season highs in both categories. Even though Cribbs is widely regarded as a special teams player that would be a 3rd receiver at best on most elite teams, you have to love how he steps up and plays in big games.

But honestly, that's pretty much wehre the positives end.

Let's talk about Seneca Wallace, who, according to this article by the PD's Mary Kay Cabot, wants a shot at being the Browns starting QB next year. My response to those laughable comments could be a post in and of itself, but I'll just say here that going 16/41 for 177 yards, no touchdowns and an interception doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Wallace also has an ugly tendency to throw off of his back foot when he's trying to evade pressure—a trait that leads to under-thrown passes and interceptions. Speaking of INTs, the one he threw to Troy Polamalu was plain stupid—I could tell throwing it in Owen Marecic's direction when he's going against arguably the best safety in the league was a bad idea from the upper deck.

Also, as I feared in the Start Me Up, Peyton Hillis really didn't have a good game only gaining 30 yards on 10 carries. Of course, part of the lack of yards is the lack of carries and also the fact that his knee got banged up in the second half, but it was still a quiet day from someone who's looking for a job either here or elsewhere next season.

It's also worth mentioning that rookie Greg Little was targeted five times and caught zero passes. He dropped at least one at the end of the game—the Hail Mary pass—and besides that I'm sure he dropped at least one more, although I can't pinpoint exactly when.

But when it comes down to it, the bottom line is simply that the Browns just aren't good enough offensively to beat the Steelers. When Wallace had his big scramble in the second quarter to get the Browns inside the Steelers 10 yard line, they needed to score a touchdown there, not a field goal. The elite teams with elite offenses get that done, and it's so obvious that the Browns need more impact players on offense in order to do that.

I'll have a more in-depth wrap-up of the season and what I think the Browns should focus on this season in the next few days.

Until then, enjoy the beginning of 2012 everybody.
~MAS

The Final Word — We Got Spanked, Plain and Simple

As I continue to watch Browns games this year, it's starting to become more and more difficult to justify my Browns fandom. I love football, especially the NFL, and so I watch a whole lot of it—good teams, bad teams, those in-between. 9.23 The Fan Brown beat reporter Daryl Ruiter tweeted out earlier that Josh Cribbs said there's a "big gap" between the talent level of the Browns and their other AFC North opponents. Cribbs may have overstepped by saying that in the heat of the moment right after the 24-10 loss to Ravens, but he's right. So. Incredibly. Right.

And it's not just the AFC North that we have to contend with. I'm not sure how the heck we beat Miami, because I'm telling you, we wouldn't beat them today. And we're certainly nowhere close to the same orbit as the 49ers, Patriots, Saints, and Packers. Hell, even the Giants gave the Packers a great game today. You think we could do that with the horse crap product the Browns are putting on the field right now? 

Yeah, I don't think so either. 

The score today was a whole lot closer than the game actually was. Honestly, I can't think of any better word to use to describe their effort today than "pathetic." And no one can escape this—the offense, defense, special teams or the coaching. There was no positive unit today, and that makes this a complete team loss. 

I don't often think like that when going over a game, but think about it. The Browns were down just 10-0 at the half. They came out, traded punts with the Ravens, before taking the ball down the field and scoring  a field goal on a drive highlighted by a 52 yard pass from Colt McCoy to Peyton Hillis. It was a wheel route, and I guess the Ravens just forgot he was there. And after that, the Browns pretty much got nothing, but they cut into the lead 10-3, and suddenly it felt like a whole new ballgame. 

But then the defense came out and showed their pathetic side by giving up a 67 yard run to Ray Rice on the first play after the kickoff. Are you kidding me?! 

I don't have to tell you how after that, the wind was just completely knocked out of the Browns' sails. 

And so begins our talk of the myriad of problems the Browns had today, the most glaring of which was the Browns (lack of) run defense. They gave up 295 yards on the ground today—204 of them to Ray Rice on 29 carries. Yikes. 

Colt McCoy looked really bad today, going 17/35 on his throws for just 192 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Peyton Hillis didn't look too great either, gaining just 45 yards on 12 carries—but he only carried the ball twice in the second half. Yes, a healthy Hillis only carried the ball two times in the second half, when we came into the third quarter down by just 10 points. 

And that bring me to my newest favorite whipping boy—head coach Pat Shurmur. What the hell was he doing today? Let me be clear, hell yes I still want this guy fired, because he's completely incompetent! 

What have we been saying since week one? The offense lacks creativity. You know how many times Josh Cribbs got the ball in his hands today? A big fat zero! He's a playmaker! You have to put the ball in his hands somehow, someway. Put him at running back and throw it to him in the flat. Screen pass. Reverse. Something!

Now I know Colt didn't execute well, but the fact is that it looks like there are too many three step drop and throws that result in just five yard plays. I found this little gem out today—last year Pat Shurmur's offense in St. Louis averaged 5.9 yards per passing play. This year, it's the same number in Cleveland. 

Can you guess what the Packers and Saints average?

Aaron Rodgers gets a whopping 9.6 yards per play, and Drew Brees (who I think might be playing even better than Rodgers) averages 8.02. Those guys are playing a completely different sport than McCoy and the Browns offense, and it's not going to get any better until the coaches figure out how to maximize the talent we have. 

Look, the bottom line is it was bad today and we've got the Steelers on Thursday (grrrrrrreat...). This team is just nowhere near good enough to compete with the big boys and they proved it today. But none of that is an excuse to just go out and lay down like they did today. 

There's absolutely no excuse for that, and to me, it makes this year's version of the Browns a complete embarrassment to the history, colors and fans of this franchise. 

I'll see you Thursday...

~MAS

Start Me Up - Browns vs. Rams

Alright I've got to 'fess up. I didn't do my blog-ly duty last week with the Final Word because...well...I just couldn't bring myself to write a post when I was questioning my Browns fan-dom.

But lo and behold, this video showed up and reminded me why I love the Browns so much.

We all feel this way! We know it's ridiculous, we know it's irrational, we know they just freaking torture us each and every time out, but they're in our blood. And even though Cleveland Browns Stadium is a "factory of sadness" I will always watch the team each and every Sunday.


So now that we've got that out of the way, I've got to say that I'm just not particularly optimistic about our chances. First off, Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty are both still out for this game so you know what that means—no running game. They haven't replaced Jason Pinkston and Shawn Lauvao at the guard positions, so I have no confidence in the offensive line. And to make matters worse Mohamed Massaquoi is most likely out because of his lingering concussion symptoms.

We all know the offense has been unwatchable the last few games, and all those injuries aren't helping matters. There were rumblings of Josh Cribbs maybe doing some more out of the backfield this week, but those rumors were squashed. Maybe because the coaches didn't want Cribbsie giving away the game plan, or maybe because Shurmur really isn't going to use him as a running back.

But I'd say why not? Seriously, the guy ran the Wildcat for the past couple of seasons and averaged 5.9 yards per carry. With the lack of offense, and the heart that Cribbs plays with, why wouldn't you want him involved in every play possible?

Think about it—if you're the opposing defensive coordinator, who else scares you even a little bit on the Browns offense? The "who dat" running backs? Nope. The wide receivers? Sorry Greg Little, but you're still a rookie. And God love Colt McCoy, but with the offensive line trying to kill him by not blocking, nobody is afraid of him either.

So look for Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo to pressure the heck out of McCoy. Spagnuolo's previous job was defensive coordinator of the New York Giants—arguably home of the NFL's best pass rush since 2006. I'm thinking we're going to see a whole lot of McCoy running for his life yet again, and that doesn't bode well for our chances to win.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Browns will be without strong safety TJ Ward for 4-6 weeks with his foot injury. Yeah, that spells "bad news bears" for a team that's 30th defending the run and is playing against a running back in Steven Jackson that's gained 159 and 130 yards on the ground in his last two games. If I'm Rams offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, I'm handing the ball off to Steven Jackson all game long to wear down the Browns D. I think Steven Jackson could definitely get over 200 yards on the ground with that strategy. Can I get an "Uh-oh!" people?

This game could be similar to the Seattle game and come down to field goals. But honestly, I'm thinking the Rams will come in and just run Steven Jackson all over the field, while Sam Bradford just has to make a few key throws to seal the victory over the Browns. And while I'm not happy about it, I'm just not feeling like the Browns are going to be able to muster up any offense with the inept coaching of Pat Shurmur.

We can't get an offensive coordinator in here soon enough.

The Prediction: STL 17 - CLE 9

No touchdowns for the Browns, and who knows where we'd be without Phil Dawson.

I'll see you at the half,
~MAS

Browns Halftime Blurb - 9/25 Browns vs Dolphins

Well, so far this game hasn't gone particularly well, but it hasn't been particularly awful either as the Browns are down just 10-7 to the Dolphins. 

Offensively, this team needs to start coming out to play in the first quarter. It's ridiculous to me that we take at least a quarter to "warm up" and then we can finally complete some passes and score some points. Quarterback play from McCoy has been erratic, at best. He hasn't been his usual, accurate self, going 5/14 with 73 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the first half. I think Peyton Hillis' absence has consequences for the entire offense, but we've got to be better. Running the ball, Hardesty hasn't been bad so far, with six carries for 25 yards, good for a 4.2 average. We just have to be more consistent with that aspect of the game, as there have been some good runs, but also a few times when we've been stopped behind the line for three & four yard losses. Yikes.

In the passing game, Josh Cribbs obviously had the best catch with that touchdown reception. But an interesting thing is that Massaquoi has been targeted four times, but caught none of them. That's partially to blame on McCoy, but there were at least two of those passes that could've been caught, I think.

Defensively, I think these guys have been their consistent selves so far. Despite the fact that Chad Henne has looked awesome today so far, going 15/19 for 191 yards and a touchdown in the first half, we've held them to just 10 points. I'll take that. In the running game, rookie Daniel Thomas has been a force so far, with 12 carries for 50 yards, good for a 4.2 average. But the defensive line has been quit good, espeially Jayme Mitchell, who has 1.5 sacks, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass defended and 2 QB hits. That's a great stat line for a game, let alone the first half.

So the key to victory? Get the offense going. We've got to control the clock a little more with the running game, and I'd really like to see McCoy getting back to looking like his accurate self with some nice short, quick passes. This is a winnable game, it's just going to be a matter of if we can get this game under our control or not. 

I'll see you after the game, hopefully to celebrate.

~MAS